FINGER LICKIN’ KITCHEN is a show with a normal gal (Me, Bianca) who is well.. obsessed with eating good food. . . but I am an actor and writer which means I’m BROKE! As my mother would say sometimes my mouth has Cartier tastes but I am on a lay-a-way budget. Plus I work in an industry that is all about staying fit and looking healthy, and lord knows some of my favorite foods would usually NOT be considered healthy. So instead of becoming a Lolly Pop Doll (You know…one of the girls who starve themselves into having a big head and tiny body) I decided to make my usual fare as healthy as possible by playing with the ingredients, but keeping the taste factor. Some people could live their whole life on steamed veggies with a squeeze of lemon juice and think they are “healthy,” but there is more to life then that and more to food!

My philosophy is simple: Make good healthful and fun food that we WANT TO EAT. We will do that by looking at recipes we may love, but may seem bad for us and make them healthier, take international foods and make them more accessible, or my favorite thing to do is “mashing it up” meaning meshing foods from two different cultures into delectable dishes.

My approach is very simple. I want to demystify the kitchen for foodies who can’t boil water (like I use to be) or think they are too busy to cook (as I feel now), and harness your love for food to become a home chef able to recreate our favorite restaurants items into dishes we can make at home and healthier to boot. Most recipes have a few easy to find ingredients, minimal equipment, and are all cooked in my TEENY TINY New York kitchen.

How I got started. I am southern girl at heart raised in Northern California into a gigantic extended family. We had Sunday dinner just about every Sunday, and well Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday…you get the picture. My entire family lives next door to one another, so we were always together and food was a big part in that. My mother, a naturally amazing cook, and now caterer, showed us all the ropes of the kitchen. Literally, sometimes we were chained in there for hours cooking enough food for an entire army. (I LOVE YOU MOM). Then I left for boarding school and learned just how many things one can make with a rice cooker and microwave when they are your only tools. My world changed drastically when I came to college in NYC. There were restaurants galore on every corner, foods from places I had never heard of, and so many, many treats to enjoy. Not great for the pocket book or waistline. The biggest change came when I was misdiagnosed with diabetes, and then parathyroid and the list went on and on. I was having health issues and no one could figure out why…so they decided you’re in college it must be your eating habits. As a dancer, athlete, and all around slight health nut for the most part I thought nah! . . . But off to multiple nutritionists I went. From one crazy diet to another to another. In the end my problem turned out to be a severe vitamin D deficiency (who knew), but the things I learned from my own research, those crazy diet plans, and the nutritionist were the corner stone of my current cooking style and the rules I live by. 1) Small changes can make a big difference. 2) knowing why a food is good for you is more important then just counting calories 3) there is more then one way to skin a cat…or chicken or lamb or veggies 4) if 90% of the time you’re eating well, give yourself that 10% and stop worrying about it!! 5) HAVE FUN with food and eat what YOU LOVE! Life’s too short!